Facebook: It's Not Just for Teens
Do you remember life before you had a cell phone? Microwave? Computer? From the moment you added each item to your life, it became hard to imagine living without it, right? Facebook is the same.
I started my Mount Holyoke career as many of you did—I received my roommate’s name from Residential Life, then exchanged introductory letters and a timid phone call. On move-in day, I tried frantically to organize the sea of new faces in my dorm. During my first year, I sat in the back of classrooms and then cursed my shyness whenever I had a homework question and didn’t know the name of anyone in my class to ask. I’d chat with someone at dinner, then never cross paths again.
And then in my sopho-more year, Facebook struck.
For those who have heard the name but wonder what it’s all about, Facebook is a Web-based networking tool. You create a personal profile with as much or as little information as you want. Typically, users include a picture, contact information, interests, education details, and a photo album. Initially, you are connected to those with whom you share a workplace, school, or geographic location. Then you desig•nate others as “friends”; only they can see your profile.
Suddenly, I had an easy way to contact new acquaintances and search for others in my classes. Facebook let me know a bit about friends I just met; it gave me a glimpse of their favorite books, movies, and music, and it let me see what friends we had in common—all of these were useful chatting points.
When e-mail became popular, many people preferred it to writing letters because it seemed a less formal, less pressured way to keep in touch. Facebook is one step less formal than e-mail. You can send messages to friends or drop a note on their “wall.” There’s no expected length or format; a quick hello really can be just a few words.
Remember the “new student picture books” distributed as a way to start recognizing members of your class? The class of 2011 had an even bigger head start on getting to know each other. The “Mount Holyoke Class of 2011” Facebook group had nearly 400 members and many were already Facebook friends before September.
As a recent alumna, I find that the lurch into the “real world” has been greatly softened by Facebook. It’s difficult to go from living surrounded by my MHC friends to being home, job searching, and being without the lively campus atmosphere. But Facebook makes it easy to keep track of all my friends in one place. Even if I’m not talking to them daily, I can keep up via new photos, job info, and snippets of adventures. When I do talk to them, it doesn’t feel as though we’ve been separated for months.
You can help keep the Mount Holyoke Facebook network strong—create a profile at www.facebook.com and “friend me.” — Marissa Saltzman ’07
If you are a member of Facebook then join the Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College group.
